Scoot to launch Koh Samui flights from May 2024; intro fares from S$172

Prior to COVID, the SIA Group used to serve Koh Samui through SilkAir, with twice-daily flights operated by the Airbus A319.

The Koh Samui route was suspended at the start of COVID, and then in 2021 SilkAir was folded into Singapore Airlines. With the A319s returned to lessors, the Group has lacked an aircraft capable of serving the island’s small airport ever since. In their absence, Bangkok Airways has had a monopoly on the route, with a commensurate effect on pricing- it’s not uncommon to find round-trip tickets starting from S$700+.

There’s good news though. Scoot will soon be receiving nine Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, which are well within the operating limits of type-restricted airports like Koh Samui. The delivery of these aircraft has been slightly delayed, but we now have official confirmation that the first two will arrive in April 2024. These will enable Scoot to launch new services to Koh Samui and Sibu, while increasing frequencies to Krabi, Hat Yai, Kuantan and Miri.

Daily services to Koh Samui will start from 13 May 2024, and one-way fares start from just S$172!

Scoot adds Koh Samui from May 2024

From 13 May 2024, Scoot will commence daily flights to Koh Samui, with the frequency progressively increased to twice daily by 6 June 2024. 

These flights are well-timed to connect with long-haul flights from Australia and Europe that arrive in Singapore in the morning, allowing holidaygoers to book a single itinerary on SIA and Scoot with minimal hassle.

In fact, I’d argue these timings are much better than Bangkok Airways’ two existing flights, which depart from Singapore at 5.20 p.m and 8.15 p.m, meaning you have to waste an extra hotel night on arrival. If you live in Singapore, you might want to consider maximising your vacation time by flying Scoot on the outbound leg, and Bangkok Airways on the way home. 

Scoot has said that one-way fares to Koh Samui will start from just S$172, which comes as a pleasant surprise. I would have thought that with only 112 seats available on each flight, and the expectation of connecting traffic from elsewhere in the world, Scoot wouldn’t need to cut prices dramatically to fill seats. I’m happy to be proven wrong though!

What to expect onboard

The resumption of the Koh Samui route is made possible by Scoot’s upcoming Embraer E190-E2 jets. A deal was announced back in February 2023 for the airline to lease nine such aircraft from Azorra Aviation, with the first due for delivery in April 2024 and a second in May 2024.

Scoot will become the first operator of the E190 in Southeast Asia.  This single-aisled jet will be the smallest in the Scoot fleet, with just 112 seats in total. 

The plus side is that seats will be configured in a 2-2 layout, which means no dreaded middle seat- an ideal setup for couples.

Like all of Scoot’s narrowbody aircraft, the E190 will have two lavatories in total, and its smaller capacity will give it the best lavatory to passenger ratio in the fleet, for what it’s worth.

Overhead bin space is understandably snug, though standard-sized carry-ons will still fit. 

Embraer says the E190-E2 has the lowest level of external noise in the single-aisle jet category, which should mean a quieter ride for passengers as well. 

For a detailed look at the interior of the slightly larger E195-E2, refer to the post below. 

Onboard the TechLion: Embraer’s profit-hunting E195-E2 demo aircraft

Redemption options

If there’s a slightly unfortunate aspect to all this, it’s that we’ll still lack good value redemption options for KrisFlyer miles to Koh Samui. 

1,050 miles	S$10

KrisFlyer redemptions on Scoot are revenue-based, at a fixed rate of 1,050 miles=S$10.

Not only is this relatively poor value (relative to an award flight redemption at least), it also means you’re at the mercy of cash prices, a far cry from pre-pandemic days when you could reliably redeem SilkAir awards from 12,500 miles each way (or 8,750 miles during Spontaneous Escapes!).

As an alternative, you can redeem Qatar Airways Avios for Bangkok Airways flights at just 6,000 miles each way, which represents much better value.

Qatar does not support online searches for Bangkok Airways, but you can find space via Air France-KLM Flying Blue or Qantas Frequent Flyer. Both allow searches with a zero balance account. 

Once you find the award space, fill in this Qatar Airways booking form and they’ll handle the rest (or contact them via live chat).

Other E190-E2 routes

In addition to Koh Samui, Scoot will also be using the E190-E2 aircraft to launch services to Sibu, as well as adding flights to Hat Yai, Kuantan, Krabi and Miri.

Here’s the preliminary flight schedules for each of these destinations.

Krabi

Hat Yai

Miri

Kuantan

Sibu

Together with destinations served by Scoot’s existing fleet, the airline will operate 103-times weekly flights to Malaysia and 92-times weekly flights to Thailand by June 2024. 

Conclusion

Scoot will be receiving its first Embraer E190-E2 jets in April 2024, allowing the SIA Group to make a return to Koh Samui for the first time since the pandemic started in May 2024. This will provide some much-needed competition for Bangkok Airways, with very affordable one-way fares now on offer.

E190-E2 services to Sibu, Krabi, Hat Yai, Miri and Kuantan will also be added, and while the aircraft is small, passengers will enjoy a much more pleasant experience simply by virtue of the lack of a middle seat in its 2-2 configuration. 

What do you make of Scoot’s new Koh Samui flights?